Tales of the Destiny Sea

The World of Destiny Sea

The Cataclysm

No one knows yet what the Cataclysm that caused the rewrite of the world was. Theories such as ice comets striking the ice caps, or the final stage of global warming, or a direct intervention from God himself, floated around for quite some time among the remaining Faunus on Earth. Theories aside, the reality was that the world’s sea levels had raised significantly within an astounding time, changing the entire face of the world as they knew it. At the same time as the sea levels rose, a second destructive repercussion took effect – all of the advanced technological wizardry of the past had been rendered obsolete, lost in the cataclysm’s wake. Any electrical devices that still exist and are functional work on an extremely basic level, a shadow of the past of humanity.

The Destiny Sea

As a result of the thousands of tonnes of sea water that flooded a great majority of the landmasses of the world, the seas have all combined into one massive body of water, named by some as “The Destiny Sea”. The Destiny Sea hides the ruins of the civilizations that were drowned in the cataclysm under the clear cerulean surface, its treasures now available to those who can brave the depths.

Centers of Civilization

The Faunus that still lived immediately started to rebuild what they could into the beginnings of civilization once more. Some faunus opted to take what they could and make houses on the sea itself, with boats of many kinds and even making small fleets and armadas of the new homes they built; others opted to stick to the land that could be found and make the beginnings of shoreside villages, towns and even cities – though these cities are rare and far between.

Since electricity has been rendered moot, travel has been severely lessened. No electric motors, GPS or even radio makes the trip across the major oceans such as the Atlantic and Pacific verging on deadly for the unprepared. As a result, most travel is limited to sticking to mapped shorelines with either sail-powered boats or rowboats. With the discoveries in symbology, however, the possibilities are starting to expand…

Currently around the former North and Central Americas, now known as the American Archipelago, there are five major population centers:

New Everest, on the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Isles – a source of shipwrights and a venerable sailor town, fashioned around Meiji-era Japan, and one of the oldest settlements in the Americas Archipelago. People from New Everest tend to have a larger affinity for the land they live off of, as compared to many of the populous cities’ citizens. Agriculturists and hunters alike live here, taming the wildlife for livestock, as well as the main source for new wooden ships in the Sea.

Summervale, around the remains of Orlando and Tallahassee, Florida – constructed out of the remains of many of the skyscrapers in the capital, it’s been inhabited by a mix of the formerly nouveau-rich and the beach rats in the area. A hedonistic center of pleasure, the City of Mirrors also handles a significant amount of trade in small commodities, as well as a center for the resurgence of entertainment in the form of music, art, dance and storytelling.

Celias, the Living Armada – an amassed collection of refitted boats, from tiny to humongous, which slowly make their way around the American Archipelago, traveling from island to island. Swearing no allegiance to any city or nationality other than the Celian Armada, they’ve garnered a less-than-ideal reputation for their frequent bullying-like tactics in their quest to procure supplies for the Armada. Made up of scavengers and engineers alike.

Arcanico, around the Aspen Mountains – a city centered around the Arcanico Cathedral, one of the biggest and most central symbology Cathedrals in the mapped world currently. Having an academy based around the research, decryption, practice and development of symbology located in the same city helps push Arcanico to be one of the most advanced cities on the archipelago. Composed of scholars and adventurers alike, and academy-taught Missionaries who travel in pairs to other population centers and spread the teachings of the Cathedral.

San Angelica, around the San Francisco/Oakland bay area – one of the few remaining completely intact cities after the cataclysm, it’s taken on an aspect of being one of the few cultural centers in the archipelago. Taking many cues from its former history of San Francisco and its many cultural districts, San Angelica modeled itself after such rich cultural cities as Venice, Barcelona, and even London. As well, San Angelica’s a heavy producer and trader of many various kinds of commodities.

Along with the five major cultures in the American Archipelago, many smaller groups of faunus emerged on the archipelago, not entirely limited by the pre-existing citystates mentioned above. Many of these mini-societies They all have specific jobs and purposes that they handle, and frequently can be found most anywhere you’d find a good chunk of people. Some of these groups are:

Ayiran Revue (Traveling bards, playwrights and Water symbolists, who function as a mix between a circus, brothel, and information brokers)

Gemalian Conclave (Isolationist Earth symbolist farming conclave that lives simply and religiously, worshipping Gemal the Reblooming, their god of agriculture, life, and most everything they believe in. Provides for most of the basic agricultural needs of the Western Archipelago, such as growing grain and simple foodstuffs)

First Scout Legion of the Celian Armada (cartographers and scouts, Air symbolists and aloof)

Monastery of the Kai (Christian/Buddhist monks and shrine maidens, trying to keep the faith of older religions alive. Fighting a losing battle, however, and their dedication to the Earless gods are off-putting to many)

Despite the Scout Legion’s best efforts, though, many islands and landmasses of the Archipelago aren’t explored quite yet, and many fantastic secrets still remain across the Destiny Sea…